Thanks to my buddy, Truckman, on here- I got a nice package of new SE blades to try out. Gem, PAL, and Treet. I noticed they were all made by the American Safety Razor Co. Has anyone noticed a difference in shave quality or are they all going to be pretty much the same? Thanks, EW
gem - good for most people. on average, 5-6 shaves PAL - very sharp and smooth. not as long lasting on average (3-4 shaves) treet - great beginners (IMO) blade AND locally available; 4-5 shaves on average.
SE Blades The new "store brand" Korean SE blades: Very poor, don't buy these. Gem Blue Star: Sharp smooth carbon steel blade.
+1 Except they're all locally available to me. I don't think the Treets and PALs are stainless, either and that's why you won't get as many shaves out of them as with the GEM. Also, the GEM is the same blade as you'll hear many refer to as a Pella or Ted Pella. That's becuase you can order them in bulk from Ted Pella for pretty cheap.
carbon blades actually keep a sharper edge, which is weird. also, a dip in rubbing alcohol and efficient drying keeps rust at bay with carbon blades.
If I can get 4-5 shaves with any of these, I'll be thrilled. Right now, I'm tossing blades after 3 good ones because the 4th is just too rough. I'm using the CVS version of one of the above, I guess. It's also made by ASR but doesn't have a name on it except CVS.
Use D.Irving79's method of hand stropping the blade after each shave and you will get a few more comfortable shaves from the blade. I use the Pella blades and get 7 great shaves from each blade and I could possibly get 2-3 more. I use Dave's method of hand stropping and I think that is why I get more shaves per blade. By the way, the GEM blades that are identical to the Pella blades are the GEM by Personna blades not the GEM Blue Star. Just a point of clarification for those out there not familiar with the SE blades available.
